Former President Donald Trumpon Wednesday said he would not sign a federal abortion ban if one reached his desk were he to be elected in November.Its Trumpsfirmest responseto date on a national abortion ban. He has simultaneously claimed credit for appointing the Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade while distancing himself from some of the stricter efforts by Republicans across the country to limit the procedure‚ and on Monday‚ hecalled for the...

In 2020‚ men were almost evenly divided between Donald Trump and Joe Biden a remarkable shift from 2016‚ when they backed Mr. Trump by 11 points. That swing was decisive enough to put Mr. Biden in the White House. Anothershift in mens votesmay well determine the outcome of this election‚ too.For the latest Times Opinion focus group‚ we gathered nine men who voted for Mr. Biden in 2020 to see how their views about him evolved since then. Most of them could see a difference Mr...

Hard-line House Republicanstanked a procedural rulevote that would begin debate on reauthorizing Section 702 of theForeign Intelligence Surveillance Act‚ effectively leaving the House at a standstill just nine days before the key surveillance law expires.Republican leaders hoped to advance the FISA reform on Wednesdaybut the measurefailed after 19 Republicans joined all Democrats in tanking the rule. The vote‚ which failed 193-228‚ is the latest blow to...

Congress is trying to reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act this week‚ and doing it right is crucial for national security. The House Intelligence and Judiciary committees have worked out a sensible compromise that can protect Americans from foreign jihadists as well as domestic abuses of power. The risk is that theyll muck it up with damaging amendments.The debate concerns FISA Section 702 that lets the government monitor the communications of foreigners overseas. The...

Gunshots rang out during an Eid al-Fitr event in West Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon‚ leaving multiple people wounded‚ reports said.The incident unfolded around 2:30 p.m. near the Philadelphia Masjid mosque and the Sister Clara Muhammad School‚ FOX 29 reported. Over 1‚000 people including families with children are believed to have been at the outdoor event to celebrate Eid‚ an Islamic holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. Parents who may have been...

A group of House Republicans on Wednesday tanked a procedural vote to begin debate on a bill to reauthorize the nations warrantless surveillance powers‚ leaving the chamber scrambling on how to address the important spy tool before it expires next week.Nineteen Republicans joined Democrats in voting against a rule for legislation to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)‚ blocking the measure from advancing 193-228.The move comes after former President...

As the U.S. government intercepts foreigners communications‚ conversations with or about Americans inevitably get swept up. Once again‚ Congress is battling over whether and how the FBI should be able to access this information.The House plans to consider a measure this week reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The law governing how federal agencies may collect and use data collected from overseas targets must be reauthorized‚ as it was in 2012 and...

Even though European countries and America are roughly on the same level regarding development‚ there are still some stark differences in their ways of life. Americans may look to Europe and feel a bit jealous over their free healthcare systems and more laid-back approach to their professional lives.But Europeans who visit America are also in awe of some of the everyday things that Americans take for granted‚ which seem to be luxuries. A Reddit user named Prof_XdR asked Europeans on the AskReddit subforum to share the everyday American things that they believe are luxuries‚ and the question received nearly 13‚000 responses.Clearly‚ Europeans admire many things about the American way of life.Here are 15 of the best responses to the question: Europeans of Reddit‚ what do Americans have every day that you see as a luxury?1. Disability access";Disability access everywhere. I can go to any place -- theater‚ store‚ office‚ school‚ whatever -- with confidence that I';ll be able to navigate fine in my wheelchair. They';ll have ramps and/or elevators."; 5AgainstRhoneIsland";Of all the things in this thread‚ the disability access is it IMO. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was an absolute game changer‚ and European countries and the EU as a whole should be embarrassed for not having something like it."; Jedrekk2. Climate changes";You can pretty much choose to live in any climate you like when you live in the USA and still be in the same country. You like 4 seasons: Move to the Northeast. You like the humid ocean climate - move to Seattle. You like dry warm weather - move to Los Angeles. You like deserts‚ move to Arizona. You like warm and humid weather - move to the Southeast."; DachauPrince";I work as an ecologist and the amount of biodiversity in California is insane. I';ll do biological surveys a few hundred miles apart and see so many different plants and animals at each site. I';ve even done work at sites fairly close to each other (sub 50 miles apart) and will still find stark differences between sites. It';s a magic state for wildlife biologists."; Skinsnax3. Big kitchens";Big kitchens and big refrigerators/ freezers. Even in my student apartment‚ we had a pretty good-sized kitchen. I was dating a Czech girl and her parents came to visit. When they went to my apartment for dinner‚ the mom was just amazed at the size of my fridge. They were amused when I dumped the scraps in the sink and turned on the garbage disposal. Theyd heard about it but had never seen one."; Granadafan4. Square footage";The massive houses‚ a special room just for your massive washer and dryer units‚ 2 car garage‚ basically you have tons of space."; Howiebledsoe";The size of your homes in places like Utah and Texas. There';s a dedicated room for everything. Kids playroom that isn';t the living room or the kid';s bedroom‚ walk-in pantry room‚ a laundry room."; mcnunu5. Free refills";As an American‚ it';s so easy to take this for granted. Similarly‚ getting free ice water in the US as well is something I often forget isn';t exactly a thing in many other parts of the world."; Gaveuptheghost6. National parks";Theres just human development on virtually every inch of large parts of Europe. So even when there are parks‚ theyre not always as untouched as American parks. And the population density in large parts of Europe means you see a lot more people in the parks. America has national parks that are so untouched and massive that you can really be alone if you want to be."; CactusBoyScout7. A/C";Americans pump it all summer long."; Websurfer498. Two peaceful neighbors (Mexico and Canada)";Remember‚ the world';s longest undefended border is between Canada and the United States. That says something about our relationship."; Dervishler";We Europeans both love and hate each other in ways that Americans will never understand. But basically‚ not being French should be enough."; TitanFox9810. Big schools";My high school just had a pool‚ 3 gyms‚ an agricultural barn with stalls for students to keep the animals they were raising to show at the rodeo‚ a few labs‚ a theater‚ a full-size kitchen that was used for the culinary classes to share (not the cafeteria)‚ 3 tennis courts‚ 2 soccer fields that were also used for football practice‚ and a football stadium with a Jumbotron. At the end of the year‚ the culinary classes would cook breakfast for the graduating class."; Elephantepiphany11. Free bathrooms";As an American who lived in Europe with little kids‚ this was frustrating. My wife found an app of free public restrooms in Europe."; QuotidianPain12. Mexican food";Real Mexican food. We have Mexican restaurants in my home country‚ but the owners are usually not Mexican and its just not the same. Now‚ Im living in Japan and its the same problem Mexican food is so delicious."; punpun_Osa13. Supermarkets";Enormous supermarkets with abundant choice. I always feel like I';m in Willy Wonka';s chocolate factory when I enter one. There';s so much stuff!"; Better protection14. Big showers";This stands out - I have two really great friends (an expat woman and her husband) that live in the UK‚ and when I went to stay at their first place together‚ their shower was like a 2-foot-wide plastic shield outside of the bathtub. I had to stay so close to the wall‚ so I didn';t spray water all over the bathroom."; IGNSolar715. Money";Theres a huge gap between the volume of physical/material stuff Americans count as normal and what Europeans consider normal. An American home might have three TVs versus one‚ six or seven rooms full of furniture instead of two or three‚ extra small appliances added all the time like air fryers and espresso machines‚ new PCs and phones every couple of years because of constant upgrade marketing the American perception that theres not enough money is partly down to the giant volume of things Americans regard as minimum equipment."; AnotherPint";In effect‚ when you account for wages and cost of living‚ luxuries (which usually have similar prices around the world) are proportionally cheaper for Americans. They make up less of their wage and‚ therefore‚ make less of a difference. Standard of living is completely different for a working-class American because they can afford luxuries people from working class in other countries can';t."; ltlyellowcouldThis article originally appeared on 1.24.24

There are many reasons why people are nervous about entering social situations where they have to make small talk‚ such as a work event‚ a party where they dont know many people‚ or at school.Some people dont enjoy small talk because they get frustrated talking about seemingly unimportant topics. At the same time‚ others are shy and afraid theyll say the wrong thing or run out of topics of conversation.Psychologists suggest those who are uncomfortable knowing what to say should use the FORD method. Its an acronym thats an easy way to remember four different topics of conversation that work with just about anyone.According to Nicole Arzt‚ M.S.‚ L.M.F.T at Social Self‚ FORD stands for Family‚ Occupation‚ Recreation and Dreams.FamilyJust about everyone has a family‚ so its a great way to ask someone to share some information about their personal lives without being too forward. Arzt suggests the following questions when making small talk:Do you have any siblings?How did you two meet? (if you are meeting a couple for the first time)How old is your child?How is your____ (sister‚ brother‚ mother‚ etc.) doing since ____ (event that happened?)OccupationJust like a family‚ almost everyone has a job. Or‚ if they do not‚ that can be an interesting topic as well. Here are some starter questions you can ask someone about their job.What do you do for a living?How do you like working at _____?Whats your favorite part of your job?What made you interested in becoming a _____?RecreationYou can learn a lot about a person after knowing how they spend their free time. Its also an excellent way to determine if someone is like-minded and shares the same interests. Here are some questions to get the ball rolling:What do you like to do for fun?Have you watched (or read) ______(popular show/book)?What are you up to this weekend?DreamsLearning someones hope for the future can tell you much about who they are on a deeper level. They may have just told you about their current job or how they spend their time. But‚ ultimately‚ what do they wish to do with their lives? Heres how to ask someone about their dreams.Where do you hope to be working in the next few years?Where would you like to travel?Whats something youd like to try in the future?Would you ever consider trying _____ (particular hobby or activity)?Arzt also notes that you shouldnt just be an interviewer. You have to talk about yourself‚ too. In other words‚ you need a mutual take-and-give. Pay attention to someone else';s answers and think about how you can draw from your own experience to connect‚"; she wrote.Not sure how much to say during a conversation? Follow the 43:57 rule. A numbers guy at Gong.io analyzed over 25‚000 sales calls with AI and found the perfect speaking-to-listening ratio. Sales soared when the salesperson talked 43% of the time and listened for 57%.Even though this insight is from business calls‚ it applies to everyday social interactions. It';s really about listening and making the other person feel special. After all‚ who doesn';t love feeling heard and appreciated?This article originally appeared on 10.20.23

Stephanie Walsh isn';t your average hip-hop dancer. At 75‚ ";Ms. Stephanie"; is still able to hold her own on the dance floor‚ popping and locking with people a third her age‚ and she loves it. When you see her danceand her enviable muscle toneyou might think she';d been a trained dancer all her life. But she actually didn';t take any formal dance lessons until she was almost 30. Walsh told Growing Bolder that she had wanted her daughter to dance when she was little‚ so she got her ballet lessons‚ which the daughter hated. Realizing that dancing was her dream and not her daughter';s‚ Walsh took her kiddo out of ballet and started classes herself right away. She had always loved to dance and developing her skills only led to more and more dancing.These days‚ Ms. Stephanie gets her dance moves on at Fusion Fitness‚ where she encourages people to ";dance like EVERYONE is watching."; One video of her dancing at Fusion has gone viral multiple times‚ and it';s easy to see why. Check this out: @fiercefitnesstyReposting this video of Ms.Stephanie &;amp; I since it going viral again. This video will always be a vibe. One thing Ms.Stephanie and I created was magic. We dance from our hearts. My classes are always about creating a Fierce vibe for everyone to show up and show out! . #fiercefitness #dancefit #fiercefitnessty #hiphopfitness #fyp #viral";Reposting this video of Ms.Stephanie &;amp; I since it going viral again‚"; shared @fiercefitnessty on TikTok. ";This video will always be a vibe. One thing Ms.Stephanie and I created was magic. We dance from our hearts. My classes are always about creating a Fierce vibe for everyone to show up and show out!";It';s not just the dancing. It';s the intensity. It';s the full presence in the moment in her face and in her movements. She';s there for it‚ and she brings everybody with her. ";Its the Im a badass facial expression for me! "; wrote one commenter on Facebook.";I dislocated my shoulder just watching that "; shared another.";She can throw it back like the rest of them. You go girl!"; shared another. Walsh shared that dancing has helped her get through many difficult periods in her life. Watch her share her story:Love it when people prove that age truly is just a number. The studio set up a fan page for Ms. Stephanie on Instagram‚ where you can see more of her joyful dancing here. This article originally appeared on 10.20.23